STEVE Bruce has told his critics to stop 'nit-picking' and finding fault in everything he does.

STEVE Bruce has told his critics to stop 'nit-picking' and finding fault in everything he does.

The Blues boss has come in for stick for a variety of reasons before, as and since Blues slid out of the Premiership.

The style of football, tactics and entertainment seem to loom large in most of the anti-Bruce brigade's complaints.

"That disappoints me," said Bruce. "I think if that's the case, then people are just nit-picking.

"Anything I do at the moment is analysed. I'm either a long-ball merchant, I'm not tactically aware, I don't play attacking football, I don't do this, I don't do that - the list goes on.

"I have got two wingers playing as full-backs at the moment. I am playing the most attacking team we can play.

"If supporters were not entertained on Saturday with some of the stuff and the other night at QPR then, I'm sorry, there's nothing more we can do.

"There were spells, like there were against Crystal Palace, when we fizzed the ball around and looked a very, very good team.

"I have to say there were also times when we looked a very average team against Hull City, when we came under the cosh a bit. But that's something we are addressing.

"Half of this team are new to the club, new to the area and trying to settle in. We need to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"People have to remember that the opposition play one up front against us at St Andrew's, it is difficult to try and break them down.

"We've managed it so far and we could have scored a lot more goals than we have.

"I know that I have got to pick a team to win football matches, to justify us being hot favourites, and every game I have tried to win rather than be negative, that's for sure."

In Blues' last two home games, they ended without a defensive midfielder on the pitch.

And at QPR, Bruce maintained a positive approach by using Sebastian Larsson at left-back and continued to put faith in David Dunn in central midfield before replacing him with another forward-thinker, Neil Kilkenny.

Bruce continued: "In my game, in my job, you have got to win. If you can do that with a bit of style, then all well and good.

"I remind people that three, four years ago when we got up, were we really entertaining then?

"I think of Horsfield, John, Mooney, Devlin, Kenna - were we entertaining? We were more direct than we are now.

"There's some fickleness there. There are supporters around that, whatever I do, I am wrong.

"I know I have got to prove myself to them again and I will try to do that.

"The bottom line is that I will pick the team I think is the correct one, I will do it my way and, at the moment, we are going okay."